Two weeks ago, students returned to their St. Joseph School in Wilmette to find the playground transformed. Ten-foot sunflowers lined a chain-link fence, while winged gourd vines and trombetta squash plants carpeted the ground. Heirloom beans, herbs, Swiss chard and zucchini plants overflowed from the raised beds set in a series of 6-foot farm […]
Was that SAT or ACT prep course a life-saver, or a total waste of time? A recent study by the National Association of College Admissions Counselors shows that small improvements in test scores can make a difference in college admissions, but it also indicates that the average gain from commercial test prep is small, […]
Students considering a gap year often worry about how to pay for it, especially now when many parents have lost jobs and household incomes have decreased. But there are ways to make taking time off affordable, so it doesn’t break the bank. Myth: Gap year is only for the wealthy. So, taking a gap year […]
“Did you cry?” friends asked about the college graduation of my oldest child, Nick.
I have a love/hate thing with back to school. I love the additional free time, but I hate not seeing my kids for 7 hours. I love that no one is standing in front of the open refrigerator shouting: “What’s for lunch?” But I hate packing the same things over and over again. Here are […]
From allowances and curfew times to who gets the car this weekend, the unresolved debates between parents and high schoolers are plentiful. One particularly hot issue involving parents and teens is whether or not the drinking age should be lowered. Donald Zeigler, a representative from Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and Alex Koroknay-Palicz of the […]
How much homework is too much? What is a parent’s most appropriate role?
Jimmy Wilson of Chicago may only be three years old, but he’s already speaking French, his second language. He can’t wait to attend his French program each week, greeting his teacher with an enthusiastic, “Bonjour!” From the moment he walks in the door until he says, “Au revoir!” everything he does is in French […]
“Look at my nose.” The eyes of 25 15-year-old girls looked up and blinked in disbelief.
